350 Mountain Road | Suffield, CT 06078 | 860-668-3800 | http://www.suffield.org

Curriculum Newsletter June 2016

Spring/Summer

Curriculum

Update

Curriculum Leadership Team

Kris Pryce, K-5 ELA, Social Studies

Sara Baranauskas, K-5 Math, Science

Jeanine Rose, 6-12 ELA, Social Studies

Esther Boakye-Dattey, 6-12 Math, Science

Brian Hendrickson, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Instruction

6-12 English Language Arts by Jeanine Rose

Sixth grade ELA classes have just completed a unit on folktales and are now reading Lawrence Yep’s Dragonwings and researching aviation. Seventh grade ELA classes are finishing up the year with a poetry unit by completing a poetry portfolio. On Tuesday, June 14th, seventh graders celebrated their student poetry with their annual Coffee-house Poetry Slam! And finally, eighth grade ELA finished the year on a dramatic note, reading Shakespeare’s comedic woodsy tale A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In an interdisciplinary field trip, students from the Gothic Literature, Studio Art and Fashion Design classes traveled

to the Wadsworth Athenaeum to view the “Gothic to Goth” exhibit. This field trip was the culmination of the Gothic

Literature class that discussed the Romantic era sensibilities and fears that helped to create Gothic literature. The

items in this exhibit demonstrated the evolution of many of these ideas, displaying works of literature alongside art

and fashion. The class also talked about modern, or "pop culture," Goth and how the Gothic genre has seeped into

the mainstream throughout the last couple of centuries. This was a perfect way to see that connection. From the

fashion class's standpoint, this exhibit was full of preserved, historic garments from the 1700s through to the present

day, all prime examples of design in the era, designed with a certain sensibility in mind. The art classes pondered the

many Gothic paintings and objects d'art.

On May 9th and 10th all grades at the middle school celebrated reading with

the First Annual Battle of the Books. Mr. Dan Spada, Media Specialist

extraordinaire, hosted the event for sixth, seventh and eighth graders.

Teams of students had seven weeks to read six different books and compete in

a game-show style competition. The book lists were a variety of fiction,

nonfiction, and graphic novels. The winners were Grade 6 White, Grade 7

Blue, and Grade 8 White. We look forward to bringing this event back next

year and making it even bigger!

NEW for 2016-2017 Community members

interested in serving on a community curriculum

advisory group, please contact Kim Moriarty

kmoriarty@suffield.org

Curriculum Newsletter June 2016

6-12 English Language Arts by Jeanine Rose

Engaging in 21st-century skills including critical and creative thinking, collaboration and

communication as well as information and media literacy, the tenth grade English classes

completed presentations of their inquiry research projects. Students conducted an inquiry

into a significant social, economic, political, or nutritional topic and researched possible

solutions. They had to argue for a solution to the problem and present a counterclaim on

their selected topics. Students completed a research paper on the topic and presented their

findings to the class with a variety of visual components.

A Touch of the Arts

The Suffield High School band, under the direction of Maestro Joe Migliore, traveled down to Walt Disney World

to perform at Disney Springs before a live audience. Students then attended a workshop at Epcot, in which they

played Disney songs and learned how to orchestrate music for a Disney movie.

Visit — www.suffield.org for a link to the SHS and SMS media center sites

to find information on the Summer Reading Program

Teams of seventh-grade students acted as members of a news team to research and report on one of the conflicts in the Middle East including the War in Afghanistan, the conflict with Iran, the conflict in Syria, or the conflict with ISIS. Eighth-grade social studies students studied the emergence of the assembly line as the industry standard by “manufacturing” a paper car. They were timed as they built the car individually and then again as a team. Students were amazed at how fast they could build when they specialized in one job and worked together!

Ninth-grade International Studies classes completed a study of 16th -17th century imperialism and globalism. Tenth-grade civics classes finished up the year with a study of local governments. Mr. Barile’s civics classes conducted a Supreme Court Fair, presenting information based on their chosen Supreme Court Cases, along with some sort of activity or game to entice participation. His class also conducted a Socratic seminar concerning issues of illegal immigration, nativism, and racism based upon an issue in Farmingville, where the illegal immigration of day laborers from Mexico to Farmingville, NY, has raised the concern of residents, who want them off their streets. Eleventh-grade American Studies classes celebrated the Roaring 20s with a 20s-themed party. Students came in costume to show what they had learned about this exuberant, nefarious and notorious decade leading up to the Great Depression. The year culminated in the modern era, looking at Watergate, Carter, Reagan, the Cold War, the War on Terror, and the attacks on the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Though the Annual Memorial Day Parade was rained out, the American spirit was not dampened in Suffield.

Eleventh-grade American studies students recited before a crowd in a reminder of our core foundational documents.

Caitlin Kirschbaum recited the World War I poem “In Flanders Field” written in 1915 by Major John McCrae.

Giancarlo Isotti recited an excerpt from President Teddy Roosevelt’s “Confession of Faith,” and Madison D’Ostuni recited

Abraham Lincoln’s brief “Gettysburg Address.”

Curriculum Newsletter June 2016

Seventh grade students entered the national “Speak Truth to Power” video contest by choosing from one of five human rights defenders: Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, F.W. de Klerk, Wangari Maathai or Paul Rusesabagina. These people have worked to defend, promote, protect or advance human rights as identified in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Students then created a 3-5 minute short film that utilized creative storytelling to teach others about a human rights issue. The format was open to documentary, stop motion, narrative, digital photo essay or other innovative explorations that involve filmmaking compo:nents. Photo to left: Third-place winners of the national “Speak Truth to Power” video contest.

Aiden Dultz, Bryan Bussolari

& Meghan Tillona See the prizewinning video here: Speak Truth to Power--Nelson Mandela Entry

Above: Caitlin Kirschbaum, Giancarlo Isotti, Madison D’Ostuni

6-12 Social Studies by Jeanine Rose

6-12 Mathematics by Esther Boakye-Dattey

Highlights Math Olympiads was created in 1977 by Dr. George Lenchner, an internationally known math educator. Math Olympiads went public in 1979. This year nearly 150,000 students from 6,000 teams worldwide participated in the Olympiads this year. Forty-nine of the fifty states and about thirty countries were represented. The program goals are as follows:

To stimulate enthusiasm and a love for Mathematics To introduce important Mathematical concepts To teach major strategies for problem solving To develop Mathematical flexibility in solving problems To strengthen Mathematical intuition To foster Mathematical creativity and ingenuity To provide for the satisfaction, joy, and thrill of meeting challenges

Suffield's Grade 7 and 8 Math Olympiads team had 15 members that participated this year. The high scorer for the Grade 7-8 team was Charles Brydges. For grade 6 there were 13 participants. Five competitions that were scored against all students across the nation. Elisabeth Agrafojo scored in the top 50% nationwide; Ayush Mehta, Cole Cutler, Daniel Mishtal, Lauren Carey scored in the top 40% nationwide; Danae Dimitrakopoulos scored in the top 25% nationwide; and Emily Brydges scored in the top 2% nationwide.

Resources for the Summer: Math App http://edshelf.com Middle School (6-8) *10 ways to build math skills during the summer *Adapted Mind *Fun and Free Summer *Resources *Calculation Nation (Fun *Games/Activities) *NCTM High School (9-12) *Link to Multiple Math sites

Curriculum Newsletter June 2016

We just completed the textbook adoption process, adopting new texts for Algebra, Geometry, Algebra 2, PreCalculus and Statistics.

Spring brings each grade level to their final Reading and Writing Units of Study for the year. Many grade levels are preparing end-of-year activities to celebrate their learning. In Kindergarten, students have been reading and writing poetry and songs during their final unit, Performing Stories, Poems, and Songs. This unit helped to prepare students for our annual Kindergarten Circus where stu-dents highlighted their talents and learning. First grade students have been revising and editing writing pieces to prepare for their Author’s Share while second graders are preparing for their end-of-year parent celebrations focusing on their learning from their last unit of study, Biographies. In grade three, students researched animals and compared and contrasted characteristics across animals. Fourth grade students studied an author focusing on authors of nonfiction. Students became experts on authors such as Steve Jenkins, Lynne Cherry and Sandra Markle, learning about author’s craft and style.

Fifth grade prepared for the final annual Civil War Day in language arts and social studies. This culminating reenactment day is a highlight of the fifth grade year. Teachers were hard at work making revisions to this celebration to align to recent changes in social studies curriculum. We will be excited to communicate these changes once plans are developed for next year. Literacy grade-level curriculum teams will reflect and revise the Reading Units of Study this summer continu-ing to thoughtfully select shared and mentor texts, and to design lessons to engage students in developing life-long literacy skills. The goal of our literacy instruction is for all students to work with meaningful, grade-level fiction and nonfiction texts, in addition to practicing and applying literacy skills and concepts. Summer Reading information will be sent home the last week of school. Students are encouraged to read over the summer and to participate in both Kent Memorial Library’s Summer Reading Program as well as our School Summer Reading Program, which is aligned to the Governor’s Reading Challenge. Students will be asked to return their Summer Reading Log in September and participate in a class book discussion with their new classmates. Visit our website for further info: http://suffieldk5summerlearning.weebly.com

Click on Kindergarten to view a short video of the circus

K-5 English Language Arts by Kris Pryce

Curriculum Newsletter June 2016

K-5 Mathematics by Sara Baranauskas

Curriculum Newsletter June 2016

Students are wrapping up the year in mathematics. As all students have been thinking mathematically using our

Investigations in Data, Number and Space, their sense making of mathematical ideas has been focused and deepened.

When asked about learning mathematics this year, third grade students in Christine Neskie’s class have said:

"(I have been) challenged this year to think deeper about math." - Leila Kolmogen

“Mathematics is very understandable. It taught me different strategies that I understand, like going to a landmark

number." - Annie Vincent

“I am learning and having fun." - Noah Grieco

"Math Workshop is really fun because we get to play different math games like Capture on the 301-600 Chart, and

the games have helped me learn math better." - Lizzie Jamrog

These third grade students in Mrs. Neskie’s class

were working on fraction understanding and

reasoning. One student hosted a strategy

group about comparing fractions. During this

collaboration, students modeled different tools

such as fraction circles, fraction number lines

and fraction strips to compare fractions.

Aligning mathematics instruction within Investigations has also supported teachers in making sense of content as it

connects to student thinking and reasoning. Teachers have collaborated to understand student problem solving and

what this looks like within their classrooms. This important work allowed for facilitated discussion about grade level

appropriate representations. This will help students to align and connect math problem-solving strategies with

concepts and skills. This is what the following teachers have said about our new resource:

“Investigations has motivated my students to discover mathematical strategies. The resource provides engaging

activities to reinforce skills, which has proven to help students feel confident in solving problems. I have become a

better teacher using Investigations, as I am now able to encourage students to work independently on an activity that

fits their needs. This program has been a wonderful addition to our classroom!” Ashley Mitchell, Grade 4

“Investigations has provided my students with great opportunities to experience math and become math thinkers. My

students learned how to share their thinking and become deeply engaged in mathematics. My mathematicians learned

how to work respectfully and collaboratively.” -Carolyn Liss, Kindergarten

This summer, grade level teachers will engage in creating a cohesive scope and sequence of units, aligning standards,

and drafting learning targets for instruction. They will also create three common assessments that align to Numbers

and Operations units. This work will help us continually drive mathematics learning forward.

To find summer math activities to help keep your child’s mathematics learning and skills fresh, we’ve created a web-

site that suggests fun and engaging mathematics ideas. Go to http://suffieldk5summerlearning.weebly.com

In May, K-5 classroom teachers participated in an overview of the Next

Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to begin learning about the shifts

in science instruction and student learning. Throughout next year,

teachers will engage in opportunities to learn more about how to

emphasize scientific exploration and experimentation. This will set the

stage for an engaging classroom experiences, with children asking more

questions, exploring and discussing possible solutions, investigating

science concepts, using argumentation, and being fully active in the

learning process. This approach mirrors real-world science practices and

engages students deeply in the learning process.

In this photo, teachers engage in thoughtfully

aligning the English Language Arts, Mathematics

and Science Engineering Practices to look for

overlaps of ideas and concepts.

For more information about the NGSS and how it will enhance your child’s scientific thinking see The Next Generation Science Standards Parent Q&A at http://www.nsta.org/docs/NGSSParentGuide.pdf

Our scientists wrapped up their science units for the year! Here are

three grade level snapshots of what students have been working on this

spring:

Kindergarten - The students have learned that the world is made up of

living and nonliving things. Students observed ants, chicks (from eggs

to hatching to babies) and sea creatures. Through hands-on activities,

students were able to observe and describe the differences in

characteristics between nonliving and living things in writing.

Grade 2 - Students analyzed the different types of soils (sand, loam, and

topsoil) and the conditions that will allow for growth of plants. Students

planted bean seeds in each of these types and kept a daily observations

journal to record their findings.

Grade 5 - Students have been studying the earth, moon and sun, and

their interrelationships. As the year closes, they will be creating models

of the eye and ear and learning more about how these structures receive

and submit information to the brain.

K-5 Science by Sara Baranauskas

Curriculum Newsletter June 2016

Grade 5 students in Mrs. Motter’s class are

investigating how eyes work. These students are

timing how long a student can go without blinking

while he is focused on an object across the room.

6-12 Science by Esther Dattey

Curriculum Newsletter June 2016

Grades 9-12 What’s New? We are excited to announce the launch of AP Physics for the upcoming school year. The course was initiated and will be taught by Dave Szabla. Interdisciplinary/Cross Curricular: Mr. Courchesne’s Introduction to Forensic Science course did a collaboration with Mr. Sanchez's Architecture II course this semester. Students in Forensics got a chance to work as Crime Scene Investigators on the scene of a crime in the classroom, documenting their initial findings by recreating a rough sketch of the scene. They had to include as many measurement details of the scene as possible so when they brought their notes back to the lab for analysis, the information could be con-verted into a digital rendering of the scene. The CSI Lab Assistants and Architecture students were in charge of developing a final digital sketch of the scene as communicated by the CSI’s notes, drawings and data using their Chief Architect software. The collaboration and interactions were fun for the students and provided a simulated, real-life activity like no other. —Kevin Courchesne (Biology & Forensics)

Below:

Cindy Davis and Jennifer Plourde’s

Grade 8 Science Class trip to UCONN

Left: Alison Gardocki’s

grade 7 Science Class

constructing model

elevators

Right: Grade 8 students

launching their rockets

Grades 6-8 NGSS crosscutting concepts and practices have been on clear display in our classes as Grade 6 concluded their Water and Atmosphere Unit by having students construct their own river beds. Grade 7 constructed elevator models (Students are faced with a real world problem of building an elevator with a $75,000 budget set by the school board. They have to design the most efficient, cost-effective elevator model that can carry the greatest load to be chosen for the job). and Grade 8 created and launched rockets.

Grade 8 despite the snow, on April 4, twenty-eight 8th grade girls traveled to UCONN Storrs and participated in the 19th Annual Multiply Your Options (MYO) Conference. The purpose of the conference is to expose young women to careers in science and encourage them to pursue science at the college level. It was hosted by the UCONN School of Engineering. During the morning sessions, students were involved in hand-on workshops or problem-solving activities, which were conducted by female facilitators with science, mathematics, engineering and technology focused careers. Students participated in a variety of activities from building a bioengineered hand, to learning about the material that make disposable diapers possible. After lunch, students participated in an interactive panel activity called "tool clues." During a tool clues panel session, female role models were asked to bring work objects or "tools" from work that give "clues" about their profession. In addition, on Thursday, April 14, two UCONN engineering students came to talk to the students about bridge engineering and design. This is part of the UCONN School of Engineering Ambassador program. Finally, on April 26 - 28 and May 3, 4 groups of approximately 35-40 eighth graders went to the New England Air Mu-seum to participate in the SOAR for Science Program. They looked at the museum collection and seeing how it relates to Newton's Laws of Motion. They also flew balsa wood gliders and manipulated variables to test speed.